Open for Business: H&M Debuts Online Shop

At long last, Swedish fashion powerhouse H&M officially launched e-commerce today. Along with the brand's standard women's, men's and children's lines, the shop will host extra sizes and online exclusives, including the highly-anticipated home line that's already a huge hit across the pond. To celebrate the occasion, H&M announced "50 States of Fashion," an Instagram contest encouraging eager U.S. shoppers to tag their purchases on Instagram with a special hashtag corresponding to their states (e.g. #HMShopOnlineNY) for a chance to win a trip to NYC or H&M gift cards. In addition, when Isabel Marant's collection launches in November, it will be the first H&M collaboration available to shop online.

BAZAAR chatted with H&M's Marybeth Schmitt about the strategy behind the launch and what's in store:

Harper's Bazaar: Why was now the right time to launch e-commerce in the US? Why did you wait until now?

Marybeth Schmitt: Our goal was not to be first or the fastest. We want to grow in a controlled way. Our focus over the past 13 years has been on opening close to 300 stores across the country. We are now very happy to launch e-commerce in the U.S., one of the world's largest retail markets.

HB: How has e-commerce performed for you elsewhere that it's offered? What have the challenges been in offering online shopping?

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MS: We are proud of the online shopping platform as well as the performance in other markets and we are excited to offer our customers here in the US the same positive experience. We have taken the time to work toward this goal.

HB: How will the site overall change? Will you increase editorial content?

MS: The H&M experience is now extended online with the addition of e-commerce. At hm.com, customers can see the latest collections, find inspiration from "H&M Life," sign up for our Friends and Family newsletter, interact with both H&M and fellow customers on social media and for the first time shop great fashion [online].

HB: What does this mean overall for H&M as a brand?

MS: Launching Shop Online in the US is further evidence that H&M is committed to offering our customers a multichannel experience when shopping at H&M. It is also further evidence that H&M is committed to continued investment in long-term growth of the brand.

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